SUMMER RESIDENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Chatham, Massachusetts
Minutes of Meeting of July 25, 2008~
Present: Kathy Abib, Bob Champlin, Don Edge, Jill MacDonald, Kathy Malfa, Hugh Moulton, Phil Richardson, Peter Tarrant, and Arnold Trebach.~~
Also present: Stuart Smith, Harbormaster, and Ted Keon, Director, Coastal Resources.~
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Don Edge at 9:00 AM.~
1. The committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting, that of July 18, 2008.~ There was no open forum discussion.~ ~
2.Stu Smith reviewed his responsibilities which often stretch Harbormaster resources to the limit.~ For example, the Mitchell River Drawbridge, leading from Mill Pond to Stage Harbor, is old and labor intensive.~ Another frontline responsibility is the regulation of the mooring permit system for the town – 2400 private mooring permits, 500 commercial boatyard slip and permits, not to mention the wait list comprised of 1300 people.~ The process of simply policing the presence of valid mooring permit stickers requires more personnel than is presently available.~ It remains the most labor-intensive job of his department.
The new breach has possible negative implications for the fishing fleet, and in the event they cannot operate out of Aunt Lydia’s Cove, the only recourse will be to moor them in a presently designated no-mooring area in Stage Harbor, and use piers in that location.
A vital Harbormaster responsibility is that of providing water safety protection and rescue services for boaters and swimmers.~ Two of Stu’s staff patrol the Lighthouse and South Beaches, one by boat and one by land vehicle.~ In the event swimmers get in trouble in the water, away from beaches with lifeguards, the calls for help go to the Harbormaster’s office.~ In one recent incident, a person in the water needed rescuing but was in such shallow water that private boats in the area could not reach her.~ The call came in at a time of day when the Harbormaster’s staff was not on patrol. Fortunately, the town fire department was able to respond with its boat and saved her life.
In response to a question from Arnold, Stu explained that the primary responsibility for rescuing swimmers and boaters in trouble lay with the US Coast Guard, which has a station right at the Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, with rescue craft at the Fish Pier (there is a south side rescue craft at Stage Harbor Marina).~ However, it turns out that the Coast Guard does not have a shallow water boat at the local station, a serious absence because of Chatham shoals~ Stu made it clear that he shared the deep concern expressed by some committee members over that major omission and said that he intends to work up the chain of command until that weakness is rectified.~ ~~
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3. Ted Keon explained that when he started to work for Chatham he also had the Harbormaster duties as well, but the position was separated and he now is focused on longer range projects rather than immediate frontline duties.~ A particular concern of course is the latest North Beach breach.~ He has been studying it since it occurred on Patriot’s Day, April 19, 2007.~ He provided the committee with several photographs of the development of the breach and with a detailed analysis of its progress.~ He declared that the break is not going away, that it is now functioning as an inlet, and that a recent numerical model indicated that by last November it was providing forty percent of the water now flowing into Pleasant Bay. The inlet has widened significantly over the last year, and most of
the North Beach village has been lost, and the five remaining camps are still quite vulnerable. Navigation through the new inlet is difficult and dangerous. Higher and lower tides are now being experienced throughout Pleasant Bay. Navigation in some areas is more difficult due to the lower tides, but the difficult shoal at Minister’s Point has actually improved this past year. The old inlet has also improved slightly, and the fishing fleet is still able to navigate reasonably well over the bar, at least for now. As the new inlet continues to develop, however, increased shoaling and changing channels will likely cause significant navigation challenges in the future.~
The issue of dredging is a central concern in Ted’s work.~ He is worried that as the new inlet grows it may cause old pathways to the fishing pier to diminish.~ Federal funding is becoming more and more limited, and this may place a larger financial burden on the town. In addition, Pleasant Bay is a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), and state regulations do not allow dredging in an ACEC if there has never been dredging in that location before. Since the new inlet may drastically alter existing channels, shoaling patterns and the need for potential dredging, he will be working with the Pleasant Bay Alliance to pursue possible relief from these state regulations if the need arises. Recently, he received $125,000 from the town meeting to cut
through a shoal that has developed at Mill Creek.~ His plan is to move the dredged sand over to Cockle Cove Beach.~ In general, Ted has been moving sand from dredged areas onto beaches that need it.~ He said that current permitting efforts for Stage Harbor will identify the whole of Harding Beach as a potential locale to place dredged sand from other areas and the Stage Harbor channel..~~ ~~
4. The committee dealt rather quickly with a number of other matters, including
· a review of the Summer Town Meeting agenda,
· the question of advisability of locating a Christie’s gas station/market at the town rotary was thoroughly examined and carefully presented, and the question was raised as to whether of not this committee should weigh in on the matter.~ It was agreed we should raise the question with the Planning Board speaker at our August 8th meeting.
· On an unrelated matter, it was noted that there is much support among the BOS for some form of a “no-chains” law.~ At the same time, members of the committee observed that such a prohibitory law was difficult to draft and to enforce.~
· The “human needs” survey was briefly discussed, as was
· Affordable housing.~
· Signs advertising the Summer Town Meeting have been approved by the BOS and will be posted in the town.~
· There was also some discussion as to the exact wording of the Cape Cod Chronicle advertisement of the 62nd Summer Town Meeting—should we be emphasizing the meeting for all, or meeting for summer residents? Don will work with Peter to resolve the matter.
· Members were reminded that there will be no committee meeting on Friday, August 1; the next meeting will be on August 8 (Planning Board speaker);
· The committee should arrive by 6:15 or so for the Summer Town Meeting on August 5 at the new Community Center.~
5. The meeting adjourned at 10:47.
Respectfully submitted,
Arnold Trebach,
Recording Secretary
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